Cigarette dispenser



May 9, 1950 E. A. GREGG 2,506,719

CIGARETTE DISPENSER Filed April 1, 1947' 2 sheets-sheet `1 INVENTOR. EUGEN EA. G REG'G.

I zt

MEYS;

INVENTOR. EUGENEAREGG.

BY f

Sheets-Sheet 2 lll,"

i I 11/l fait!! III/[1],

all!

'mummvll May 9, 1950 Filed April 1, 1947 Patented May 9, 195C* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE DISPENSER Eugene A. Gregg, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 1, 1947, Serial No. '738,623

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a dispensing device. In the preferred form it is adapted to the dispensing of cigarettes and is configured to simulate a burro or jackass, and representations of certain parts of the jackass are employed as operative parts of the apparatus, whereby the dispenser has not only utilitarian value but also oifers the attractions of an entertainment device.

The objectives of the invention are:

To provide a new and improved dispensing device particularly adaptable to cigarettes;

To provide a dispensing device in the likeness of an animal and specifically simulating a jackass;

To provide such a dispenser in which the operation is effected by and accompanied by movements of certain members of the animal, and

To provide an amusement device which is operable to dispense cigarettes.

Other objectives and advantages of the invention more or less ancillary to those enumerated will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and drawings which disclose the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation View;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the median plane, showing the mechanism in its position of rest;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section taken on the same plane as Fig. 2, showing the mechanism in its operated position;

Fig. 4 is a. transverse vertical section taken on the plane indicated by the line 4--4 in Fig. 3;

, Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation view with parts in section, illustrating particularly the operating lever; and

' Fig. 6 is an elevation of the operating lever.

As will be apparent from Fig. l, the overall appearance of the device is that of a jackass II bearing a box I2 on its back. This structure may, as indicated, be made of wood but it may, of course, be molded or cast from plastic or metal or fabricated in any other suitable manner. In the preferred wooden construction a carved wooden piece I3 forms the left side of the head, neck, and body of the animal and the left legs. A generally similar Wooden block is carved to form the right portion of the animal, including the right legs, and also the right ear I5. An appropriately shaped piece I6 forms the central portion of the back of the neck and the muzzle.

The underpart of the trunk is formed by a block II. The four pieces I3, Ill, I6 and Il may conveniently be glued together with pieces IS and I'I serving to space the side pieces from each other and leave a cavity I8 between the side pieces which houses lthe operating mechanism of the dispenser. The box I2, which is of rectangular form, is composed by a front wall 2|, rear wall 22, and side walls 23. The side walls are secured to longitudinally extending rails 24 and 25 (Fig. 4) which are fixed in any convenient storage chamber 29 defined by the Walls of the box. A cover 3l provided with a knob 32 rests on top of the box. A simulated head harness 33 and girth straps 34 made of leather or the likemay be cemented to the donkey. A tail 36 is pivoted on a pintle 31 between the side members of the body in the appropriate location.

The operating or dispensing mechanism comprises an ejector 4i which is a rectangular block formed with a longitudinal bore 42 for sliding movement on a guide rod or dowel i3 mounted on the upper surface 44 of the spacer block il in any convenient manner. The block lll is reciprocated by a link 46 received in a slot 4l in the ejector and pivoted thereto by a pin @8. The other end of the link 46 is hinged to a lever arm 5I formed of heavy wire or the like. The wire is bent at right angles to form a shaft 52 which is journalled in a transverse bore 53 in the head portion of the left side member I3, then bent again at right angles to form an arm 5i inserted and secured in the left ear 56 of the donkey. The head is recessed at 51 to form a shoulder against which the ear is received. The ear thus forms one arm of a lever coupled to the ejector block,`

and upon pulling the ear forward from the position of Figs. 1 and 2 to the position indicated in dashed lines in Fig. 3 the ejector is moved rearwardly on the rod 43. A coil spring 58 mounted on the horizontal portion 52 of the lever is formed with one extending arm 59 hooked around the lever portion 5I and an upwardly extending portion 6I which bears against the under surface of the wooden block I6. The spring 58 thus acts to resist the ejecting movement and return the block 4I to the forward position shown in Fig. 2, permitting a cigarette to drop through the chute 2B until stopped by the guide rod 43 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Upon moving the ear forward the ejector block engages the lowermost cigarette, pushing it through the slot 63 between the side body members. The cigarette in emerging engages the tail 3S and lifts it to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the cigarette then passing under the tail and being retained in position by the unbalanced weight of the tail until removed by a manual operation.

The dispensing device may Ibe mounted on a baseboard 66. A nail or equivalent stop member 61 restrains the cigarette next to the bottom one from being ejected.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely lset forth, it is to be understood that the Vspecific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts and modifica. tions of detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

What I claim is: Y y A 1. A dispensing device comprising a generally vertical hopper for objects to be dispensed, a rod mounted transversely of and within the hopper and adapted to support the lowermost object, an ejector reciprocable on the rod, means dening an aperture through which the ejector ,propels the lowermost object, and means adjacent the aperture bias to move so as to grip the object by the said means and the Wall of the aperture. y Y

2. A dispensing device for cigarettes and the like comprising a generally vertical hopper adapted to retain the cigarettes in parallel horizontal relation, a rod mounted transversely of the hopper and adapted to support the lowermost cigarette within the hopper, an ejector reciprocable on the rod, means defining an aperture through which the ejector propels the lowermost object, and means within the aperture for frictionally engaging the object.

3. A dispensing device for objects comprising a body adapted to retainthe objects in position for dispensing, an ejector reciprocable in the body, a pivoted ear on the body connected to the ejector for operation thereof. an ejection opening in the body at the opposite 'end thereof from the ear, and a pivoted tail normally biased by gravity to close the opening and comprising a part within the opening engageable by a dispensed object to raise the tail, the said part thereupon frictionally engaging the lobject withber partially within the opening biased to nor'- mally close the opening and susceptible to being displaced by the ejected object, vthe'pivoted member being disposed to frictionallyengage the :object within the opening, said pivoted member 'being formed with a Vprojecting partintermediate the ends thereof to engage the object.

5. A dispensing device for elongate cylindrical objects comprising a body defining a chute adapted to retain a stack of the objects in `a generally horizontal position, an ejector member reciprocable across the lower part of the chute, the body being formed with an rejection opening adjacent the path of the member whereby reciprocation of the member is adapted to push an object partially through `the opening, and a gravitational-ly biased pivoted member partially within the opening normally closing the opening and susceptible to being raised by the ejected object, the pivoted member being disposed to frictionally engage theobject within the opening, said pivotedmember Vbeing formed with a projecting part intermediate the ends thereof to engage the object.

6. A dispensing device for cylindrical articles of given diameter, such as cigarettes, comprising a generally vertical hopper adapted to retain the cigarettes in parallel horizontal relation; an ejector reciprocable across the lower end of the hopper; means defining an aperture aligned with the path of the ejector through which the ejector propels the lowermost article, the lower wall of the aperture constituting a support for the ejected articles; a lever fulcrummed adjacent the support normally closing the aperture and adapted to be engaged within the aperture and raised by the ejected article, the lever being formed with a prominence remote from the free end of the lever to engage the article, so that the lever acts under gravitational bias to hold the article frictionally -by grasping it between the said prominence and the said support.

7. A dispensing device for cylindrical articles of given diameter, such as cigarettes, comprise ing a generally vertical hopper adapted to retain the cigarettes in parallel horizontal relation, the hopper including a lower portion; a rod extending across the lower portion substantially parallel to the side walls thereof, the spacing of the said walls adjacent the rod being greater than but less than twice the said given diameter, and the distances from the rod to the adjacent walls being less than the said given diameter, so that the lowermost of the said articles normally rests upon the said rod and is retained against falling therefrom by one of the said walls; an ejector reciprccabl'e on the rod; and means defining an aperture aligned 'with the path of the ejector through which the ejector propels the lowermost article.

8. A dispensing device for cylindrical articles of given diameter, such as cigarettes, comprising a generally vertical hopper adapted to retain the cigarettes in parallel horizontal relation, the hopper including a lower portion; a rod extending across the lowerportion substantially parallel to vthe side walls thereof, the spacing of the said walls adjacent the rod .being greater than but less than twice the said given diameter, and the distances from the rod to the adjacent walls being less than the said lgiven diameter, so that the lowermost of the said articles normally rests upon the 'said rod and is retained against falling therefrom by one of the said walls; an ejector reciprocable on the rod; means defining an aperture aligned with the path of the ejector through which the ejector propels the lowermost article, the lower wall of the aperture constituting a supportfor the ejected articles; a lever fulcrummed adjacent the sup-porthormally closing the aperture and adapted to be engaged within the aperture and raised by the ejected article, the lever being formed with av prominence remote from the free lend of the lever to engage lthe article, so that the lever acts under gravitational bias to hold the article irictionally by grasping it between the sadpromine'nce and 'the said support.

EUGENE A. GREGG.

REFERENCES crraD The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES YPA'IENVFS,

Number Name Date '70,362 Roesler Oct. 29, 1867 531,115 Halsey Dec. 18, 1894 1,280 669 Copeland Oct. 8, 1918 1 289,019 Theodore f Dec. 24, 1918 1,354,307 Joslin -v Sept. 28, 1920 

